Faith reflects upon her childhood
PrevNode LinkNext[ Becky and Chankey are sitting in the library, studying together, and listening to Cimorelli - “When I’m gone” . Faith approaches them. ]
Faith: Hmm… hi kids! That doesn’t sound exactly like Anna Kendrick.
Faith: Whoa, who are all those girls?
Becky: Oh, they are Cimorelli - six sisters who sing together. They are a big hit on YouTube.
Faith: Six sisters!
Chankey: And they also have some brothers.
Faith: Heh, God bless their mother. After my third pregnancy (to twins) I said: “That’s it. No way, José!”.
Faith: I would think their being a big family is part of their charm.
Chankey: Yes, and the way I see it: all the power to them. See: I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as a child, and I ended up memorising the English translation and now the French original, because I liked it so much.
Chankey: Anyway, Captain Nemo there, thinks he’s a nobody, which is what “Nemo” means in Latin, but he's not. Thing is: lots of people expressed interest in him due to his various distinctive qualities, and he kept thinking: “They are interested in tangential stuff, not in the real me. They don't know the real me.”
Chankey: And here's the thing: all these qualities are what make you who you are, and you should exploit them and be yourself.
Faith: Indeed!
Faith: Wish I had any sisters. Or brothers for that matter. But I was my mother's only child, and my poor excuse for a father was a U.S. Navy sailor who got drunk along with my mother, they had sex, and the bastard bought her breakfast the day later, gave her his contact details and left.
Faith: They told me it was the only time she ever had sex. [Faith starts crying.]
Faith: When I was 5, my mother was killed by some criminals who spared my life, and we agreed to pretend that I was also killed. So I grew up on the streets.
Faith: Then one day when I was 9, I took the bus to one of my city’s good neighbourhoods where I saw a young boy about my age about 90% of the way out of a book.
[ Cut to the scene with the young Faith and the young boy (= David). ]
Faith: Hey homeboy, so this book’s interesting?
David: Hi! Yes, it is.
Faith: [looks at the book] “The Three Musketeers” - think I’ve heard of it. So it’s good?
David: Yes, it’s great.
Faith: [snatches the book] That book’s mine, bitch!
David: Hey that’s OK - you can have it - I’ll just buy a new one. Bye!
Faith: [from the distance] See ya, homeboy.
Faith’s internal dialogue: It took me a day to finish reading the book. I could not put it down. The next day, I decided to return it to the boy.
Faith: Hey, bitch, here’s your book back.
David: Thank you…ahem…
Faith: Faith! My name’s "Faith".
David: Nice to meet you - I’m David. I didn’t buy a new book yet.
Faith: That’s good, I suppose. Oh, and they end up killing Milady de Winter there.
David: Really? I positively love her, she’s amazing.
Faith: Agreed. Well, I’m off to my original hood. [She runs.]
David: Faith… wait!
Faith: Farewell, loser.
[ Cut to Faith in the Library. ]
Faith: So I Grew up in the streets, learned to slay vampires and other demons, and — had sex! Lots and lots of sex. I lost track of the number of guys I seduced, but I still remember each one.
Faith: Then I came to Sunnydale, pretended to be evil and ended up saving the day. I then entered a relationship with Xander, and we got married, and raised children… not to mention that Peter, the mafio who killed my mother and who hasn't killed anyone since, ended up supporting me, and he also comes to visit me here (and he is close to being a father to me).
Faith: But… it’s not the same.
Faith: There’s a big hole inside of me… of not having a proper, happy childhood…
Faith: I want my daddy! [Bursts out crying harder.]
[ Becky walks to her and hugs her.
After a while Faith calms down a little. ]
Faith: Oh, look at me: Faith, the fierce vampire slayer, crying like a baby! I’m so pathetic!
Xander: [From the background of the frame.] Crying does not make you weak. On the contrary - it’s one way of fighting.
Faith: Hey, honey! You remember Becky and Chankey.
Xander: That I do, Faithy [he hugs her].
[ Faith puts her head in Xander’s chest affectionately. ]
Becky: Faith, do you know what happened to that boy… David?
Faith: Yes, I do: he found me on the Internet, a few years back, and we touched base. He’s happily married plus children and is an expert of Internet marketing and e-Commerce. He came to visit me in Sunnydale, and brought his children with him, and mine got along very nicely with his.
Faith: He brought the copy of The Three Musketeers that I stole and returned, and asked me if I wanted it. I had my own book that I bought after I came to Sunnydale, but was excited to see the copy in question.
Faith: And finally, he also told me that at the time, his father had been in touch with some couples who were looking to adopt children my age, and they would have been able to find a couple that could have adopted me.
Becky: Oh! [She has tears in her eyes.]
Faith: Yes, well, that's all over now I guess.
Faith: Bye, kids.
Xander: Bye Becky, Chankey.
Becky and Chankey: Bye Mr. and Ms. Harris!
[ They leave. ]